Age With Grace
by thatlittlegoodgirl
Summary: Stiles will always be slightly odd, and his life kinda crazy. He accepted it a long time ago. Though, now that everyone is grown up and settled down (depending on who you're referring to), Stiles excepted for at least some of the strangeness to settle down too. But of course, nothing ever happens the way he plans it to.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I started writing this fic before all the crazy/angsty stuff happened on the show, so a majority of the beginning won't be cannon compliant. The beginning and the parts that focus on one of the plot lines are the really only angsty parts, at least it pack bonding, babies, fluff and all the other good stuff.

Hope you guys like it, and comments and/or reviews would help out a lot when finishing the rest of the story.

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Stiles' life was weird. Not in the hyperactive-gangly-limbed-awkward-child-at-heart way, but in the friends-with-a-bunch-of-werewolves-and-occasionall y-fights-supernatural-creatures type of weird. The fact that Stiles was prone to trouble and the weirdness that came with it tended not to faze him a lot anymore either. After taking care of the Alpha pack, the Durach, and any other problematic occurrence that happened junior year, the rest of high school and college was a breeze. The occasional monster did put a kink in his plans for a normal life, but he knew his life would forever be far from normal.

But by far the craziest thing to happen to Stiles so far was Derek Hale. Not even Scott, his best friend and a werewolf, falling in love in love with Allison, a pretty bad ass Hunter, came even close to Derek on the weird scale. Words could hardly describe Derek at times, and Stiles had a pretty vast vocabulary. First Derek was all death glares and slams into walls, then he was slowly turning friendlier in a grumpy Derek sort of way.

But then he and Cora left after Deucalion. Stiles didn't realize how accustomed he had gotten until he was just gone. Dealing with Peter without Derek had truly been a challenge

A rogue faerie reeking havoc on the innocent people of Beacon Hills brought Derek back. He hadn't changed much in the few months he was gone. His beard just a tad longer. His face just a little bit sadder. Derek kept everyone at a distance. He was an alpha once again, but didn't reveal how it happen. Derek did inform the pack that Cora was fine. She decided to rejoin the pack in Arizona that had taken her in after the Hale fire. Derek closed himself off and pushed everyone especially Stiles away. But as the months dealing with the faerie progress, the walls slowly fell and things between Derek and the teenagers (mainly Stiles) grew into the resemblance of what their relationship was before.

Stiles was the only one who knew Derek hadn't sold the loft. And Stiles was the only one who knew Derek had thanked him for keeping the dust from settling. Nobody realized Derek and Stiles started spend more and more time together away from the rest of the pack (though the group did start to notice the increase of drawn out stares while the other wasn't watching).

Stiles was extremely confused about how felt about Derek by that point.

After his kiss with Lydia, Stiles realized his dream of being with her had changed. They worked too well as friend to mess it up with dating. Once he had finally abandoned his feelings for Lydia, somehow Derek found in way into his thoughts. And looking back at how Derek's actions had changed towards Stiles, he believed there was a small chance that Derek could possible (like one in about ten billion) feel the same about him too.

Let it be Stiles's luck that he he explores the idea of being with Derek, the man builds his walls back up. Every time he tried to help find the Faerie, or even just tried to talk Derek, he would turn a cold shoulder and tell him to go home. Stiles thought they were at least past the whole "go home Stiles" thing. Little did he know, Derek was simply trying to prevent Stiles from getting hurt.

Even with Derek's efforts it didn't work. One brush with death later, Stiles and a certain Sourwolf to realize the truth. They were both hopelessly fallen for each other.

Apparently there had been a bet amongst the pack. And Lydia won. Stiles wasn't surprised. Not. One. Bit.

That was years ago, when Stiles was young (relatively), innocent (to a point), and about to go to college. Now, fast forwarded seven years to the present time, Stiles was taking a midnight stroll through the woods during a full moon. He was prepared; he had mountain ash in one pocket and powered wolfsbane in the other. It also just happened to be his twenty-fifth birthday. Derek felt bad about it; he even told Stiles that he had something special planned for the two of them. He said he could stay and send the rest of the pack away.

Full moon runs were one of the few things, besides the bi-monthly pack meeting and movie night, that kept the pack together when there wasn't murderess creature running around. Though all the wolves in the pack had their anchors for resisting the shift on full moons, Stiles knew it would be unfair for them to have to sit around and gave them permission to go out. Derek looked slightly pained when he walked out the door but obeyed without argument. Stiles had to restrain from rolling his eyes when Lydia called out in her classic sing-song voice, "whipped"; although, Stiles had no reason to not agree with her.

He didn't need ancient tomes about werewolf politics know what his relationship with Derek meant the rest of the pack; he just needed a Scott to tell him that everyone had started to call him the 'pack mom' and that he and Derek were obvious mates. It was comforting to know that he had almost as much power as Derek over the pack. The talk he later had with Derek about werewolves and mating traditions was almost as enjoyable as explaining to his father about werewolves in general. That had lead to his all his friends being werewolves, which lead to

Derek, which then lead into a talk about the finer points of their relationship. It was probably for the best that the Sheriff wasn't completely sober for a good part of that conversation.

With the girls, along with Danny, watching a movie, safely tucked away at Derek's loft (not that they were too fragile to go out during a full moon, but because one had a toddler that could shift into a baby werewolf at any moment, one was eight months pregnant, one just had a her nails done, and Danny saw no point in running around in the woods in the middle of the night), and the werewolf portion of the pack running around chasing rabbits, or whatever they did on their runs, Stiles grabbed his coat, walked out the door, and headed to the preserve. He hated to work on his birthday, but potentially saving someone's life couldn't exactly wait.

That afternoon, Allison told Derek and him about a Hunter from Oregon chasing a female Omega south, and who had just been spotted a few dozen miles from Beacon Hills. Derek promised they'd search that night for the Omega, and Stiles figured he could go out a look too. He wanted (needed) to find her before the Hunter. Sometimes Stiles had to remind himself that not all Hunters were like Allison and her father.

Tracking the lone wolf alone in the woods gave Stiles time to think about anything and everything. School happened to pop into his head first. He was one class and a couple student teaching hours away from graduating from college certified to teach kindergarten through sixth grade with a double minor in Literature and Mythology. Stiles could not tell everyone enough how he couldn't wait for it all to be over with. In the beginning, he had to postpone college for three semesters while he recovered from almost dying, the start of the Derek and Stiles relationship, and then almost dying again. Near death experiences had become quite common for the Hale pack in the last ten years and now Stiles prayed that nothing severe would happen until after he graduated.

By the time he was fit to go to college, Stiles had completely rethought his plans for the future.

Everything was easy strolling until his father got shot on the job; Stiles was just happy that it hadn't been caused anything supernatural. He claimed a family emergency and took the rest of that semester off while he stayed with his dad in the hospital. Derek was the one to push Stiles back into school. Once, Stiles called to check in on his dad after class, and Derek made a witty remark about looking after his future father-in-law and.

Thinking about his father's accident lead him into his next thinking spell. Family. And Derek. What did that comment mean? Future father-in-law. It always hung out in the back of his mind, teasing him at the most inconvenient times. And Derek said it over a year ago. Of course that wasn't the only thing Derek joked about. When they became officially a couple, Stiles found out that Derek's sarcasm rivaled Stiles' at times.

The sound of footsteps him snapped Stiles back to reality. Scott burst out from the trees and rushed towards him.

"Stiles!" He grabbed his wrist and started running back the way he came.

Stiles slowed down. "What are you doing?"

"Umm…" Scott stopped and turned around. "We found the girl, but there's a problem. We have to hurry."

Stiles groaned but nodded, and the pair took off through the darkness. Thank God for the years of lacrosse and track which allowed him to at least keep up with his werewolf friends. After a mile or so, Scott and Stiles stopped at a small clearing. The pack was huddled around something at the far edge of the trees. Except for Isaac, who was standing to the side away from the rest of the pack. It almost looked like Isaac was gentle swaying side to side.

Derek stood to face Stiles and walked to his side. His face was hung toward the ground the whole time.

Stiles looked around confused. "What's the problem?"

"There was nothing we could do, Stiles. We found her too late. The wolfsbane reached her heart." He met Stiles' eyes.

"What?...who… What are you talking about?" Stiles marched to where most of the pack was kneeling.

He stumbled when he saw what they were gathered around.

Lying prone on her back was the wolf they were all trying to find. They were too late. Her stone white skin contrasted with the black etched into her veins and the dark curls that pillowed her head. Black blood oozed out of a bullet wound on her shoulder and from a deep gash across her lower abdomen.

Stiles felt his throat constricting. Even after all the death he'd seen, it was still hard to witness, especially death of innocent people. Derek must has sensed his distress because not even a second later, there was a warm hand on the small of his back. Stiles turned around and Derek wrapped his arm fully around him.

Derek pulled him closer and whispered, "We are going to find the monster that killed her. I

promise, but for now we have to worry about th-"

"Derek!" Isaac twisted around and the others shot up off the ground. "Derek, something happened. She's…she can't breathe."

"But I thought-" He was about to ask who they were talking when he saw what Isaac was holding.

Bundled in a spare t-shirt was a baby. His confusion was replaced by a mixture of panic and anger. "A baby? She was pregnant and the Hunter killed her?!"

Derek cupped his face and made Stiles look at him. "Stiles, you need to calm down. Yes, she was pregnant. It was too late to save her when Isaac found her, but we managed to save her daughter. But there's a good chance that the baby got poisoned too. I'm going to need you to come with Isaac and me to Deaton's right now. Can you do that?"

Stiles breathed in deeply and nodded his head. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Good." Then Derek addressed others: Scott, Boyd, and Ethan. "Take the girl's body to the Hale house and give her a proper burial. She doesn't deserve to be left out here."

Derek flashed his red eyes and the Betas carried the young girl's body out of the clearing.

The wind picked up and Stiles realized how chilly it had gotten. He shrugged his jacket off and held it out in front of him. "Here. And we should take my jeep. It'll be fast and it's parked not too far away."

Isaac grabbed the jacket and carefully wrapped it around the shirt covering the baby.

"We need to hurry." Isaac's eyes were pleading

Derek and Isaac followed Stiles until they reached the jeep parked along one of the dirt access roads that lead through the preserve. Stiles offered to hold the baby, but Isaac just pulled her closer. He didn't say anything and tossed the keys to Derek before climbing in the back. Luckily, Stiles managed to get a hold of Deaton and quickly told him of the situation. He said he'd be waiting for them when they got to the vet's.

Isaac became hysterical with panic when the baby stopped breathing altogether.


	2. Chapter 2

Isaac nearly stopped breathing along with the baby in his arms. Derek had to growl at him, and Stiles was an inch away from slapping the back of his head when he shot out of the jeep. Derek had barely pulled into the parking spot when Isaac jumped out. Deaton was trying got get Isaac to calm down when Derek and Stiles rushed in the door.

"Ah, Stiles. I'll need your help for this." He gently took the baby from Isaac's arms and walked to the back room.

"I uh…I take that as my cue to go help." Stiles glanced at Isaac then back to Derek. "Please make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Right before Stiles got to the back room Derek called out, "I'm the Alpha, remember?"

"Yep. Sure you are." Stiles couldn't help the smirk that found its way onto his face.

It faded when Stiles entered the room. Deaton was hurrying around the room collecting his non-veterinarian tools from their hiding places. In a nest of white blanket on the examination table laid the newborn. Under the florescent bulbs, Stiles could see the ink black blood tinting her skin and the way her chest struggled to rise and fall.

"How long did she stop breathing for?"

"I don't know. It couldn't have been longer than a minute or two."

"How old is she?"

"I really don't know Deaton…but she couldn't have been born more than thirty minutes ago."

"Thank you, Stiles. And don't worry, we'll save her."

Deaton placed a small bowl of lukewarm water in front of Stiles and ordered him to clean the baby off while he got the last few things together. The next hour was a blur. Stiles moved from one task to the next whenever Deaton asked him to. And finally they could all breathe easily.

The high-pitched cry of the infant brought Derek and Isaac into the room.

Stiles had swaddled her back up in his jacket and was trying quiet the crying by rocking her back and forth. The baby's skin was flushed from crying, but it no longer looked so deathly pale. She now was a perfectly healthy baby girl with ten fingers and toes, chubby cheeks, and fine wisps a light hair on her head. When Stiles managed to get her settled, he had a giant smile on his face, proud he was able to help save her life (he denies anyone who says he cried and tells everyone that it was Derek and Isaac).

Derek had his mouth open to say something to the vet, but Deaton held a hand up. "You're welcome. Hopefully we won't have to see her in here again for a very long time."

They nodded gratefully and left Deaton's office a few minutes later. Stiles gave Isaac the newborn to hold and climbed in the backseat. Normally Stiles would complain about sitting in the back of his own car; however, he was tired, Derek still had his keys, and it seemed Isaac only relaxed when he was holding the baby.

Stiles tried to talk about what they would do next, but Derek caught his eye in the rear-view mirror and shook his head. He knew that was a 'not right now' look. As Stiles gave up talking for a moment, he laid his head against the cool window. He was almost asleep when Derek pulled up to main entrance. Stiles wished nothing more than to strip out of his clothes and fall into bed with the adrenaline fading from his system. Though in order to get to his bed, he had to walk up three flights of stairs. He still hadn't forgiven Scott and Ethan for deciding it was a great idea to train in the elevator.

Over the years, Derek's loft was still called "Derek's loft", but turned into Stiles' loft too. While waiting to go college Stiles decided to move himself into the loft. He made Derek put his bed in an actual bedroom, fix all the holes in the brick, and upgrade the kitchen into something usable. He also took Derek to town to buy three couches, a table big enough to sit the whole pack, and a flat screen T.V. Stiles felt slightly guilty about spending all that money at first, but it proved to be good choice when the pack decided to all hang out at Derek's loft during their breaks at college.

Isaac lived with Scott until Derek returned to Beacon Hills. Derek told Isaac he only did those things because he couldn't risk one of the Alphas killing him for being friends with him. Cora living in the loft had nothing to do with him having to leave and that Derek would always consider him as pack and family. Everyone in the room at the time pretended not to see the tears in Isaac's eyes. Isaac moved back in the next day and stayed through high school and college, until he graduated and his job in social services became stable enough to buy the loft area besides Derek's.

Stiles trudged up the stairs in front of Derek and Isaac. He sighed when he opened the door. Of course he wasn't going to be able to go to sleep.

Allison, carrying a sobbing, eighteen month old Harrison, ambushed Stiles the second he stepped into the loft. "Oh thank God. I would love to stay and coo over the baby and listen to you guys brag about how you save her, but we had a situation here."

Over Allison's shoulder, Stiles could see the loft in total disorder. And to think he had spent the whole day before picking up after Derek and Isaac.

"What happen?"

"The Hunter found out the Omega was trying to reach Derek after he shot her, and somehow he found his way here." Great. The monster of a person already killed a girl and then went after his pack. "And he…thought Esther was the girl he was tracking…and tried to attack her."

It was not looking good for him right now. Esther, Boyd's college sweetheart and wife, the only girl and the youngest of a respected Alpha in southern California's seven children, and the sweetest and most beautiful woman Stiles had ever (behind Lydia and Allison), who also happened to be thirty-one weeks pregnant with her first child, had been attacked.

Stiles had to take a deep breath to calm his anger towards the man. When Derek heard what Allison said, Stiles could hear his jaw clenching from across the room.

Isaac spoke up. "Is Esther okay? Where is she?"

"Ethan, Scott, and Boyd managed to show up at just the right time to subdue the Hunter, but all the stress caused Esther to go into labor early. Scott went with Boyd and Esther to the hospital so he could explain to Melissa what happened with Esther and about her." Allison gestured with her free hand to Isaac and the newborn. "Ethan's upstairs taking care of Lydia's cut."

Stiles tilted his head back and asked sarcastically to no one specific, "Really?"

"The Hunter managed to get away." Allison shifted her son in her arms.

"That's not our problem now," stated Derek. He picked up an overturned chair. "One of our own needs our now. When Lydia and Ethan come down, we're all going to go to the hospital for support and to figure some things out."

So that's what they did. Allison, Ethan, Danny, and Lydia took Allison's SUV and Derek, Stiles, and Isaac squished in the Camaro. Halfway to the hospital Stiles got a text from Scott.

Boyd says they left their overnight bags at their house and wonders if you can pick them up on your way over. He also said because of the pack's lack of coordination, and the multiple copies of the same baby item, whoever has the baby can borrow stuff. Like a car seat.

"We need to stop by the Boyd's house."

The pack filled most of the room in the maternity ward. Scott's mom was talking to Derek and Isaac at the nurse's station; she had papers in her and looked like she was scolding Derek. If Stiles wasn't about to fall asleep standing against the wall he would have thought it was funny. Scott, Allison, and little Harrison were all curled together in one of the larger chairs. Lydia was sitting a few seats away muttering about rogue hunters and scientific equations as she filed down a broken nail. Danny sat next to her peacefully reading a book, and Ethan leaned against his side while fighting to stay wake. Everyone was exhausted.

But Stiles was starting to get restless waiting around at three in the morning. Besides, Stiles was really starting to hate hospitals. He was about to search for a vending machine when Boyd entered the room. Those still conscious sat up at his entrance.

"The doctor decided not to try to stop the contractions. They said it would be a while before anything major happens. You guys should go back to the loft and come back tomorrow."

Lydia and Danny tried to convince Boyd to let them stay the rest of the night. He agreed and saw the rest of pack out of the ward.

When everyone who had left returned to the loft, they silently split up and went to the different guest rooms. Isaac took the newborn they save upstairs with him. Stiles was barely able to take his shoes off before he fell face first into his and Derek's bed. Derek laid down a few minutes later after checking the security of the two lofts. He threw an arm around Stiles' waist and pulled him in close.

"Worst birthday ever," Stiles mumbled before slipping into a dreamless sleep.

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A/N: I already have the next chapter written, but I don't really know if I'm going to continue this. I would love some feedback about if you like it or not, or if you think I should finish the story.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry if you find any mistakes! If you do it would be great if you let me know.

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Derek was gone when Stiles woke up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and changed out of his clothes from the day before. Sleepy voices and smells of breakfast wafted into the master bedroom. The pack was seated around the large, wooden table at the edge of the loft's kitchen. Everyone had already dived into the giant mounds of eggs, bacon, and waffles. Chocolate waffles. Those were saved only for special occasions. Like birthdays. Then it hit Stiles, and all the events from the night before came rushing back to him. He decided to forego the coffee (not wanting to fall asleep during breakfast) and stole a piece of fresh bacon from Derek he leaned in for his normal morning kiss. Derek, who was standing in front of the stove finishing up the last rounds of food, pretended not to see him.

Stiles sat at his normal spot at the table and waited for Derek to sit down before he started to eat. While everyone around the table talked, Stiles saw they looked as tired as he felt. He didn't feel too bad about laying his head on the table after he saw the rest of the pack. Eventually, Derek nudged his elbow and raised an eyebrow at him; Derek didn't need to say anything for Stiles to understand his facial expressions. He had mastered that art long before they started to date.

Isaac wandered in a few minutes after that, carefully carrying a sleeping baby in his arms. He had wrapped her in a borrowed blanket from the Boyds and placed her in Harrison's empty, transportable bassinet. No matter how many times Derek or Stiles moved it to another room, it always found it's way back to the middle of their living room.

Isaac sat down at his seat in between Scott and the seat reserved for Boyd.

Derek waited for Isaac to fill his plate before speaking. "As I'm sure you know, we have lots of things to discuss this morning."

"What about the people at the hospital?" Scott asked. "Won't they want to be a part of the discussion?"

"I talked to them on the phone this morning when I checked on Esther. Things are still progressing slowly by the way."

Stiles noticed Isaac being a little too quiet. He looked a lot more rested than the rest of the pack, so sleep deprivation wasn't the issue. He tore off a chunk of his waffle and chewed at it thoughtfully while Derek continued."

"Boyd informed me that we could go and wait later this morning, but that there was no rush to get there." Derek stole a quick glance to the living room. "She doesn't smell like another pack."

His voice was barely over a whisper, but Stiles knew the rest of the pack didn't have a problem hearing him.

Allison looked up from keeping her son from spilling the food on his plastic high chair all over the floor. "What does that mean for us."

"I means that since her mother was an Omega and she has no other traces of another werewolf or pack, we have to right to take her in as our own," Ethan spoke up from his seat. Even though he wasn't an Alpha anymore, he still helped Derek explain the finer details of werewolf laws.

"So we can keep her?"

All eyes turned from Isaac's hopeful face to Derek's thoughtful one.

Derek nodded and Stiles added, "I don't think he have a second option. The Hunter's still out running around and it's not like we can drop her off at the police station. I'm pretty sure we don't want an unknowing couple adopting a baby werewolf, if Harrison is anything to go by. And didn't Melissa give you and Isaac a birth certificate, Derek?"

"Yeah," Derek caught Isaac's eyes. "We just have to decide who should be her legal guardian."

The pack burst into one almost indistinguishable sentence.

"We have our hands full with Harrison, and so will Boyd and Esther."

"Danny and I haven't ever thought about children?"

"Have we discussed children?"

"Lydia's too busy with school."

"Peter's still too creepy and who knows where, same goes with Cora."

The increase of noise had woken the infant up, and Isaac was out of his chair and lifting her out of the crib before she could let out another sleepy sob. Everyone, but Derek, was surprised by Isaac's actions.

"I could do it." Isaac straightened his back and walked over to where the loft's stock of baby bottles and formula was held. The more Stiles thought about it, the more he realized just how much baby stuff had found its way into his and Derek's house. And over the past eighteen months, pretty much everyone an expert of diaper changing and bottle making from the many nights of babysitting. Though Isaac was one of the best. Stiles figured with the preparation of Boyd and Esther's first child all the baby supplies already in the loft had been updated. "I could take care of her."

While he started fixing a bottle with one hand, Allison stood and help clear away some of the dirty dishes. " No ones doubting you Isaac, but you do realize what's all included in taking responsibility for her? And you would be doing it alone too."

"Yes, Allison, I understand. But my job is secure, flexible, and I have the money. And who knows, I might not be alone forever."

Isaac, who was finally able to enjoy himself without worrying about losing someone close to him, had his serious look guarding the rest of his emotions. No one had seen that look since the Alpha pack.

"What do you think, Derek? Can Isaac raise the newest, unexpect, member of our pack?" When Stiles spoke, all eyes turned away from Allison and Isaac and to Derek.

"I think he's more than capable." Then Stiles saw the minute twitch of the corner of Derek's mouth. Of course, Derek knew about Isaac's gravitation to the infant and hoped (wanted) him to step up. "Stiles, go with Isaac to get those papers filled out. The rest of us can clean up the mess from breakfast. I'll give you the bottle when it's ready."

Now the official guardian of the infant, Isaac lead Stiles into his section of the flat and then into his personal bedroom. Stiles sat on the edge of the bed and held his arms out, Isaac understood the gesture and let Stiles hold his daughter. Stiles had a feeling Isaac was just as excited to call the baby his daughter as Stiles was excited about calling the baby Isaac's daughter.

After a few minutes of Isaac shuffling through the stack of papers, Derek came in the room and handed Stiles a bottle of formula. Isaac gave Stiles silent permission to feed her.

"She's going to need a name."

Isaac glanced up from one of the papers and replied, "I know. I already had one picked out."

"What is is? And how do you know all the info needed for those forms?"

"Her name is Ava. It means 'life'." Isaac paused. "And I know all the information the paperwork because when I found her mother, I held her in my arms as she died, and I just waited for the pack. She told me her name. It was Grace and she didn't know who the father was. Grace made me promise to save her baby and protect her from the Hunter. I can't break that promise."

Ava Lahey. Stiles thought it was good fit. And now Isaac's protectiveness the past few hours made sense. Isaac's loyalty to his pack, his family, was unwavering.

Isaac continued, "I waited until everyone had gone to bed to make Ava a bottle. Derek found me and told me knew about Grace's dying wish. He suggested I look up her up in the social services database."

"Wait, did you sleep at all?"

"I slept for a few hours total. I'm used to not sleeping a lot because of the nightmares, and I couldn't let myself take my eyes off of Ava."

Only Derek and Stiles knew of Isaac's nightmares. Some were of Isaac still looked in the freezer. Others were of pack members dying bloody and violent deaths.

"Oh, well what did you find?"

Ava had finished her bottle and Stiles began to burp her.

"Her full name was Grace Elizabeth Bryant and she was only eighteen. Her parents died in a car crash when she was seven. No one could find any relatives, so she bounced around from one group home or foster family to the next. She ran away from her last foster family in Seattle a few weeks before her eighteenth birthday. I don't know how she became a werewolf or why she was running."

Stiles smiled sadly at Ava in his arms. He knew what it was like to loose someone in a car crash. When Stiles was thirteen, he and his mother we hit by a drunk driver. If his mother hadn't swerved and taken most of the impact, Stiles would be dead too.

"Don't worry Isaac. We'll find out the truth and in the meantime you'll be an amazing father."

Isaac capped his pen and stood up.

"As cute as you two are, Isaac, we should see what Derek has planned for the rest of the day."

Once everyone was cleaned up and ready to go, they piled into their cars and headed to the hospital. Melissa greeted them at the entrance to the maternity ward; she lead Isaac to another part of the hospital to file Ava's birth certificate and all the other papers he had completed and to make sure Ava had a check up standard for all newborns. The rest of the pack found Danny and Lydia in the same waiting room as before. For two people who stayed overnight at a hospital with little sleep, they looked like perfection. As always. They told the pack everything that happened with Esther and Boyd since they left, and to nobody's surprise, it wasn't much. Ethan drove Danny back to their apartment to take a shower and try to get some sleep. When Isaac came back without Scott's mom, Allison and Lydia volunteered to take Isaac to town to get everything necessary for a baby. Stiles, Scott, and Danny already agreed to move all their computers and gaming systems out of the game room so it could be a nursery for Ava. No doubt Lydia was going to get supplies to decorate to nursery too. Scott, with his son in tow, wandered off to see if Melissa wanted anything for lunch.

By the time a nurse let anyone waiting for Boyd and Esther into their room, Stiles and Derek were the only ones left. Boyd was sitting in a chair beside his wife's bed and was holding one of her hands in both of his. They were talking quietly when Derek and Stiles opened the door. Esther and Boyd had bright, smiling (if not tired) faces when they saw who entered. Boyd stood up and mentioned he wanted to talk to Derek while he was here. The two men left to talk in the hallway, and Stiles took Boyd's spot beside Esther.

When Boyd first brought Esther over to Derek's loft for a pack holiday during college, there had been tension between Esther and the rest of the pack. After a while everyone warmed up to her, and long before Boyd proposed she had been accepted into the Hale pack. It was nice to see Boyd so happy after he was locked in the vault and Erica was killed.

"How are you feeling?" Stiles asked.

"Oh you know. Just having very painful contractions while in labor."

Stiles wondered if it was a good or bad thing that every other pack member had to be so sarcastic at times.

"Other than that, I'm feeling good. But I'm a bit tired, it's hard to sleep."

Stiles nodded. Harrison's birth had been similar, except Allison had been angrier and yell at a lot more people.

"Do you have any names picked out?" He asked Esther.

"I was thinking about Charlotte."

"Would you get mad if I called her Charlie?"

Esther laughed. Stiles loved her laugh. It reminded him of his mother's. "I don't mind if-"

She was cut off by a contraction. Esther gripped Stiles's hand so tightly, he was sure she was going to break it. He had to remind her to breathe through the pain, and when it was over she settled back against the pillows behind her back.

"Do you want me to get Boyd?"

Esther shook her head. "I don't mind if you call her Charlie. I think it's a cute nickname."

"Awesome. Have you picked out a middle name yet?"

"I suggested Erica knowing how much she meant to Boyd, but he declined the name." She rolled onto her side to be in a more comfortable position. "He said a person's name is important, and when you're named after someone, you have an unconscious pressure to live up to that person's legacy. He also said Erica would hate him if we named our daughter after her."

Stiles nodded. "I understand. I'm named after my grandfather, and I still don't know how to pronounce my name correctly. I'm sure you and Boyd will pick out something perfect for baby Charlotte."

"Me, too."

Stiles looked around the room for a second. It pretty much looked like any other hospital room.

"Hey, is your dad coming to town?"

Esther's father was one person that Stiles hoped never to get on their bad side.

"No, he can't. He's in the middle of some stupid negotiation with another pack. He won't be able to drive up until the end of the week. But he promised one of my brothers would be here by this afternoon, so that'd be nice."

Stiles had only meet one of Esther's six older brothers in the years he's know her. The brother he had meet was the oldest, next in line to become the Alpha, and just as intimidating as his father. He was nice though, and polite (even if Stiles thought he was standing just a bit too close to Lydia the whole time). Their relationship might have only lasted a few weeks, but Stiles was still protective over Lydia.

Esther and Stiles's conversation moved to the topic of Isaac and Ava. Esther was happy her daughter would have the opportunity to have a close friend in the pack. Derek and Boyd came back into the room, and the four of them talk for a few minutes until Esther had another contraction. Derek promised they would come back later with the others.

Scott spotted them in the hallway and let Derek know he was going to meet up with his wife, Lydia, and Isaac for lunch and bring back something for his mom and Boyd. Derek told him he was planing to make a run to the store to restock their food before everything got too crazy, and then return to the hospital afterwards. Stiles followed Derek out the main doors and to where he parked the Camaro.

"So when can we get a baby?" Stiles slipped his hand into Derek's.

Derek stopped in the middle of the hospital's parking lot. "Really, Stiles? I think two newborns in the pack is enough for right now."

"I was just wondering. I don't think my dad would be happy with me having children before I'm married anyway."

Stiles started towards Derek's Camaro again. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Derek following him with his eyebrows pinched together in thought. It was amazing that Stiles could tell Derek's thoughts or emotions just by his eyebrows were positioned.

"What are you thinking now, Derek?"

"I umm...just...just wait right there for a second." Derek hurried to the passenger side of his car and grabbed something from the glove box. Stiles had no idea what was happening. The last time Derek stammered like that was the first time he asked Stiles on a real date.

Derek stood in front of Stiles and fidgeted with the small object in his hands.

"I was going to wait until you graduated, but these past twenty-four hours made me realize I don't want to wait any longer." Derek kneeled on one knee. "Stiles, you know you still haven't told me your real first name, Stilinski will you marry me?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- For those who have read this since the beginning: I changed the 1st chapter to be more cannon compliant.

Also, please forgive any mistakes. I wrote part of this chapter while sick.

* * *

Derek's words didn't register to Stiles at first. Then he blushed and tried to pull Derek up off the ground.

"Oh my gosh, Derek, get off the parking lot."

Derek stood up and stared at Stiles in slight confusion. "Does that mean no?"

"No, Derek." Stiles dramatically rolled his eyes. "It means proposing in the middle of a parking lot wasn't the best idea."

Derek's confusion grew.

"Yes. Derek, yes I'll marry you. No need to get worried. And it took you long enough to ask."

Derek smiled sheepishly. He opened the small box and took out the ring inside. It was a white gold band inlaid with a strip of black diamonds around the middle. When Derek held it out, Stiles could see a triskelion engraved on the underside of the ring. Stiles took it and slipped it onto his finger.

"Ugh." Stiles pulled Derek into a hug after giving him a big sloppy kiss on the lips. "Why are you so perfect all the time?"

The other man laughed and said, "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

They finally made it to Derek's car.

"I guess I have to tell my dad this, along with all the other stuff that happen last night."

"Maybe I already asked your dad about proposing to you. And I just realized I don't know your father's first name either." Derek stopped at the red light and look over to Stiles. He was looking at the ring on his finger.

"Just be glad he allowed you to move past the 'Sheriff' stage." Stiles looked up at Derek. "What about all the other stuff?"

"Supposedly Melissa told your dad about Isaac's situation and about the Hunter this morning."

"Oh, I didn't know they met for breakfast this morning."

"They didn't. She spent the night with your father."

Stiles shifted in the passenger seat to face directly towards Derek. "What? When did that happen. Why did anyone feel like he or she shouldn't inform me that Scott's mom and my dad are now apparently together? And how do you know this?"

"It's been going on for a few weeks now, but this is the first time Melissa stayed the night. And I'm not the only one that knows about them, Stiles. Scott and Allison knew before me." Derek smiled at Stiles's flustered state. "No one wanted to bother you while you were trying to finish school."

Stiles turned back around in his seat. He told everyone to give him a little space the last half of the final semester of college. Stiles couldn't complain about no one telling about him Melissa and his dad, they did what he asked him to.

"Do you mind taking me back to the loft before you get groceries. I need to have a little talk with my father."

"Sure. Whatever you want, Stiles."

Derek dropped Stiles off at the front of the building that contained the loft. He promised to pick up a bottle of nice wine and reeses cups to celebrate the engagement (along with some Derek-and-Stiles personal time). Stiles knew he deserved it after Derek had skipped out on his birthday the day before.

Stiles could hear muffled banging coming from somewhere inside the loft when he first opened the door. Next, he saw all the electronics that had been in the game room on the table in the kitchen. Finally, Stiles saw Isaac laying across one of the many couches in the area dedicated to pack meetings and watching TV. Isaac was lying on his back without a shirt: his eyes were closed, his head was propped up on the arm of the couch, and his feet dangled off the other end. Ava, wearing only a tiny white diaper, was on top of Isaac's chest sound asleep.

Isaac opened one of his eyes when Stiles plopped down on another couch.

Stiles whispered, "What's with all the semi-nudity?"

"Allison said skin-to-skin contact was good for babies and young werewolves," Isaac replied in Stiles's same whispered tone.

"You mean werebabies?"

Isaac rolled his eyes at Stiles. "Yes, it's good for werebabies too. It helps human babies to calm down easier and cry less. For werewolves, it helps to establish familial bonds and promote scenting when older."

Stiles nodded. "Nice to know."

He'd heard most of that before, but the part about werebabies was new. Stiles was sure there was some strange science behind, but science wasn't Stiles's favorite subject in school. It was Lydia's. Along with just about everything else.

Stiles mimicked Isaac's posture (save being shirtless and having a baby), and closed his own eyes. A loud bang and indistinct voices filtered over to Isaac and Stiles.

Stiles saw Isaac wince at another bang; however, Ava still remained asleep.

"Allison and Lydia are decorating the nursery as a 'baby shower' present. You will not believe how much baby stuff they bought for me. Lydia decided to buy enough clothes for Ava to last until she's in high school."

Stiles laughed quietly. "I can believe that. It sounds exactly what Lydia, and Allison, would do."

"They won't let me see the room until they're finished. They also said I wasn't supposed to leave this couch until they were done either. I don't mind that part. It's nice to have a little quiet time with Ava."

"Yeah, I bet it is."

Just when the loft quieted down again, Ava thought it would be the best time to wake up and demand a bottle. Isaac sat up planning to make a bottle, but Stiles stopped him.

"I got it."

Isaac smiled at Stiles. "Thanks."

He leaned back against the cushions, brought his legs up and sat criss-crossed on the couch. Isaac still held Ava against his bare chest. The skin-to-skin contact did seem to help in quieting her crys. Soon her crying turned half hearted and (to no surprise) stopped when Stiles brought Isaac a perfectly warmed bottle.

Stiles saw Isaac eye the ring on his finger.

"I see Derek proposed. And I guessed you said yes." He smirked.

"No, I told Derek I would never marry him, but I kept the ring to mock him." Stiles flopped back in his seat from before. "How did you know about Derek's proposal?"

Isaac looked up from Ava. "I helped him pick out the ring."

"Oh, yes. Of course you did."

"Hey, Derek asked for my help and who am I to deny the big bad Alpha?"

Stiles fiddled with the ring on his finger. "Whatever. You guys picked well. It clearly says 'Belongs to Derek Hale. Do not touch.'"

The other man smiled brightly. Just on the verge of laughing.

Isaac looked like that a lot now. The lit up face shining when someone complimented him, or like now with Stiles, on the edge of laughing at a joke made about Derek. That type of smile had rarely surfaced during high school. The pack was just glad to see it often now.

Finished with her bottle, Isaac leaned Ava against his shoulder. He placed a hand on her back and supporting her head. Isaac murmured unrecognizable words to his daughter. Stiles could tell how happy Isaac was doing something so domestic. Stiles was glad Isaac had found his little slice of happiness.

Stiles was quiet for a moment longer before asking Isaac about appointed earlier that morning.

"Well the nurse certainly thought Ava was the more adorable thing to grace the planet. They said everything was. Beautiful blue eyes. I hope they stay like that."

"Sounds like pretty soon you'll have a little heartbreaker on your hands."

Isaac's eyes flashed with slight panic. "Oh God, what did I get myself into."

Stiles laughed softly. "Relax. Any boy Ava wants to bring home will have to go through me and then Derek before she even brings him to you."

"Thanks."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be doing the same for Boyd and Es-"

"No Stiles," he interjected. "Thank you for saving her life. I don't...I would have killed me if she died."

He believed him. Losing Ava would have killed everyone.

Stiles nodded in agreement. "I would have killed me too."

The two men moved into an easier topic. They walked about Ava's sleeping schedules and feeding habits and her crying. Basicly, she was the total opposite of Allison and Scott's son. He was a nightmare when first born. So compared to Harrison, Ava was the perfect baby that only existed in fiction. Isaac and Stiles fell into a comfortable silence until the sounds of Allison and Lydia's shoes came bounding into the open area of the loft.

Allison held her son on her hip and both women were smiling broadly.

Lydia spoke first. "Boyd just called. It's time."

"Then why are we still here?" Stiles shot off the couch.

Isaac didn't stand up. "I think I'll stay here. I've had enough excitement for the last twelve hours to last me the rest of the day."

"I can hang back too." said Allison. She sat down in Stiles's previous spot. "It's time for Harrison's nap. I'll also make sure Isaac doesn't try to look at the nursery."

Stiles turned towards Lydia. "Let's take my car."

Stiles drummed his fingers on his jeep's steering wheel, the ring making a dull clinking sound. Lydia glanced and his hand then his profile. She didn't comment, but a faint smirk spread across her lips. Stiles would glance back at her every few minutes. The relatively short car ride seeming to stretch on forever. At times like this, Stiles really was glad that he was only good friends with Lydia.

"When do you go back to school?"

The drumming stopped. "I have to leave tomorrow. If I didn't have less than a semester of school left I would think about staying here for a few days, but I can't. I'm so close to the end."

Lydia nodded, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Stiles pulled up to the hospital and parked. He spotted Derek's camaro a few spaces over.

"Hey, still going for that Fields Medal?"

"Not at the moment. I actually just got offered a job to work at a genetics lab not too far from here. They read my thesis paper and were impressed by my theory."

Lydia and Stiles were met by Ethan in the hallway. They followed him back to the waiting room. Stiles noticed a distinct lack of pack in the waiting area, though now it was filled by other random people.

"Where is everyone?" asked Stiles. He plopped down next to Danny.

Danny tilted his head up in concentration. "Boyd was close to having a slight meltdown, so Derek told Scott to take him outside to calm down. Derek's in the room with Esther- so is Melissa."

"Why is Derek in the delivery room?" Stiles looked to Danny then Ethan.

"He got put on hand holding duty until Boyd was able to control himself." Ethan smiled. Suddenly he turned his head to the side and listened to something down the ward's hallway. "I should be any minute now."

Stiles stood and started to pace. "I'm really surprised Derek wasn't the one to freak out."

The group chuckled. Just then a dark shape ran past the waiting room. Everyone one knew it was Boyd. A minute later Scott joined them. Lydia filled the men in on what had happened in the previous hours at the loft.

When Derek walked in, Stiles almost didn't recognize him due the the dorkiest smile every.

"Her name's Charlotte. Charlotte Erica."

Stiles rolled into bed and dragged Derek down with him. He was not excited about driving back to school in less than eight hours.

Derek wrapped his strong arms around Stiles's waist and torso, nuzzling his face into Stiles's grown out hair.

Stiles voiced softly, "I hope Esther didn't hurt your hand too badly."

"She didn't." huffed out Derek against his neck.

When Derek remained quiet and his breathing slowed, Stiles thought he fell asleep. But just as Stiles was drifting off, Derek spoke again.

"I'm scared."

"About what?"

"In the last twenty-four hours my pack has increased not by one, but by two. And Harrison is still young. I'm afraid I won't be able to protect them."

Stiles rolled over onto his other side. Even though it was too dark to see Derek, Stiles knew he could see him.

"If you don't stop talking like that, I'm going to slap you. And we won't have sex for a month. How many times have I told you that you never have to do anything alone. I'll always be with you, so will Scott and Isaac and Boyd. You might be the Alpha, but we protect pack as a pack. Now go to sleep. I want to wake up early and see Esther and Boyd before I have to leave in the morning."

Derek and Stiles fell asleep in a tangle of limbs and sheets.


End file.
